Teens Inspired to Put ‘Purpose and Passion’ into Businesses
YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio – Teenage business owners displayed their products Thursday at Inspiring Minds Youngstown’s Summer Market, dreaming about what a successful business could mean for their lives.
Gabrielle Perez said she hopes it may lead to college. The 14-year-old, owner of Sunny Scents, experiments with a variety of aromas to create her own scented candles and soy wax melts. She loves coming up with a new combination and making a name for her business.
“Inspiring Minds is basically preparing us for college and what we want to do when we get older so we won’t end up struggling and end up being out of place,” Perez said.
She and 13 other young business owners set up at the Inspiring Minds lot on South Avenue on Thursday.
Myah Starkey, 13, makes several flavors of lip gloss – strawberry, icy mint, cherry cotton candy, pineapple, coconut and strawberry lemonade are just some of the options.
“Owning your own business is hard,” Starkey said. “It takes a lot of patience, and it’s expensive. You have to just keep that good mindset.”
Sisters Amara and Marrtia Robinson own Mara’s Creations.
“What we do is make all your wildest creations come to life,” said Amara, 17, while unwrapping a plate of delectable cake pops in flavors such as strawberry dream, birthday surprise and chocolate and vanilla.
CJ Hall, 15, was marketing his hoodies and T-shirts with his own logo – 3P Pain, Purpose, Passion. He held up tan and teal versions, noting these are this year’s line. The black and dark blue hoodies he picked up were from last year.
“I learned how to be patient and stay focused at all times, and how to really brand myself properly and then sell myself properly,” Hall said.
Hall has already been in business for two years. He said he has learned how to manage his business, paying it back for the merchandise instead of spending what he earns. He prints the logos on his shirts himself after learning to operate a hand press.
“The message behind the business – in life you have pain, but that’s supposed to help you find your purpose and passion in life,” Hall said. “So every time someone wears my clothes or I wear them, that’s the message I want to evoke and bring out.”
Finding their passion is a big part of the message Tammye Hardin, program coordinator for Inspiring Minds Youngstown, hopes the students take away from the program.
Thursday’s Summer Market event serves as a celebration of their hard work and efforts throughout the year. Some of the students were dancing while a DJ created a party atmosphere.
Their businesses are not just a summer activity for them. The students start learning and working on their concepts in the fall, and they set up several times a year, including around Mother’s Day and Father’s Day.
“We’re not teaching them just to make money,” Hardin said, “but we’re teaching them how to invest money. They’re required to do a business plan. They’re required to have a resume, references, and their presentation is everything.”
Hardin said students learn how to brand themselves, network and represent themselves well on social media and in their personal lives. They learn how personal hygiene affects their presentation. Additionally, the students learn about ways to collect money, such as through a QR code or Zell and Cash apps.
“We introduce them to a lot so they can discover their passion and then just go out and be the producers of it, instead of always being consumers of everything,” Hardin said.
She said she hopes to break the mindset that a business must be a brick-and-mortar store to be successful.
Amaris Moss is only 12 years old, but she has already invested money into beads and fasteners. She strings glass beads by hand, one by one, in a variety of combinations to create bracelets, necklaces and earrings. She calls her business One Bead at a Time, and both she and her brother are involved in the Inspiring Minds program.
“So the first thing is teaching them you’ve got to put in the work,” Hardin said. “You just can’t set up a table, make the money and go home and spend it.”
The students operate their businesses year-round. Some of the students have their own LLCs, and Hardin said Hall is already investing his profits.
“Every year I set a financial goal for them, so this year we have a financial advisor and they’re going to start investing, even if it’s as little as $500,” Hardin said.
The Youngstown chapter of Inspiring Minds just celebrated its 10th anniversary a month ago with a summer birthday bash. The organization also recently moved from a 3,000 square foot facility to one more than triple that size at 2110 South Ave. Hardin said the organization is in the process of renovating the new location, where 80 students and even their parents often gather to work out, learn and listen to information, from business to nutrition. She said Inspiring Minds is more than just an after-school or summer program.
“The parents just don’t send their kids here,” Hardin said. “Our parents are involved. … Our meetings are full of parents, and that’s one of the things that’s special in our lives.”
Hardin, who has a master’s degree in education, said the youngsters are the future of Youngstown.
“I say every day is a day for them to shine,” Hardin said.Full Article by The Business Journal – Click Here
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